D. W. and Arthur are back in another hilarious episode. When a restaurant tantrum brought on by spinach results in D. W.'s being grounded, she doesn't really mind until she realizes that she's missing some fun. Promising that she'll eat and behave, D. W. is given a reprieve, and another meal out is happily concluded--with a surprise. Both words and pictures fit perfectly in a beautifully paced book.

K-Gr 3-There's a whole slew of edibles that D.W. finds disgusting, but spinach is at the top of her list. Dining out with her family, she causes a scene when her parents suggest that she give her salad greens a try-no more restaurants for the picky little aardvark after that. Staying home with a sitter is boring, though, so when she hears about her grandmother's birthday dinner at a fancy restaurant, she wants to come, too. She orders the Little Bo Peep Pot Pie, devours it with relish, amazing everybody, including herself, and learns a lesson. The text is spare and funny, and while all the colored-pencil illustrations reflect Brown's sense of humor and familiarity with the little details of childhood, some are downright hilarious. Charming endpapers feature some of the foods D.W. loves to hate. Although she wears an expression of pure horror when she discovers the main ingredient of her pie, readers will suspect that she'll keep that delicious spinach down and her mind and mouth open to new eating possibilities in the future. Youngsters are sure to relate to the young heroine, laugh at her, and maybe even laugh at themselves. Brown knows what appeals to children, and he serves up a generous portion.-Vanessa Elder, School Library Journal

In another funny picture book about Arthur the aardvark's little sister, D. W. is a fussy eater. She won't eat anything with eyes. Also, she would never eat liver in a million years, and she won't touch all kinds of vegetables. More than anything else in the world, she hates spinach, or so she thinks. Like the badger in Russell Hoban's classic Bread and Jam for Frances (1964), the picky eater has to discover for herself what she's missing. Brown's affectionate, colorful cartoon pictures extend the mischief of the story. Kids will get the point that whether the food is delicious or gross, eating is a sensual experience--and a social one. (Reviewed February 01, 1995)